No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom, life has continued to exert a profound attraction.

Zadig

In the tradition of his very popular Candide, Zadig is what might be called a "philosophical tale." Zadig, a handsome young man with a fine education, is puzzled by the uncertainties of his destiny. He attains great success in government but is unsuccessful in love. Despite his wisdom and shrewdness, he meets with a number of misfortunes. The central question of the story is, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

Tartuffe

Initially banned in France by King Louis, Molière's celebrated social satire Tartuffe exposes false piety and hypocrisy in the Catholic Church. When a pious fraud worms his way into a wealthy family and manipulates the patriarch into giving up his fortune, it’s up to his family to expose the truth before they end up in the poorhouse!

Faust

The two-part poem Faust tells the beautifully emotional story of a man who has seen and done it all. However, despite all of his learning and education, his life still feels empty and unaccomplished. He believes wholeheartedly that there is something else out there. Faust, having exhausted all other fields of study, turns to magic for fulfillment. He summons the devil and makes a pact - that if the devil can show him something rewarding and fulfilling, he will give the devil his soul.

On Guerrilla Warfare

In a war of revolutionary character, guerrilla operations are a necessary part. This is particularly true in war waged for the emancipation of a people who inhabit a vast nation. China is such a nation, a nation whose techniques are undeveloped and whose communications are poor. She finds herself confronted with a strong and victorious Japanese imperialism.

Plato's Republic

The Republic poses questions that endure: What is justice? What form of community fosters the best possible life for human beings? What is the nature and destiny of the soul? What form of education provides the best leaders for a good republic? What are the various forms of poetry and the other arts, and which ones should be fostered and which ones should be discouraged? How does knowing differ from believing?

Chase Baker and the Vikings' Secret

Did Chinese explorers arrive in the Americas before Christopher Columbus? Renaissance man and adventurer Chase Baker is hot on the trail of this hidden piece of history in the woods of Minnesota, home of the famous Kensington Runestone. The alleged proof is scrawled on a runestone written by Vikings centuries ago. The only problem is it's guarded by a mythical creature called the Wendigo at the bottom of a treacherous place called The Pit, where few have survived.

Utopia

Utopia is Thomas More's work of fiction in which he presents all the ills of England in the 1500s and proposes a solution, a perfect "utopia" where crime, poverty, diseases, and injustice do not exist.

Utopia

Utopia is the name given by Sir Thomas More to an imaginary island in this political work written in 1516. Book I of Utopia, a dialogue, presents a perceptive analysis of contemporary social, economic, and moral ills in England. Book II is a narrative describing a country run according to the ideals of the English humanists, where poverty, crime, injustice, and other ills do not exist.

A Doll's House

A Doll's House is significant for the way it deals with the fate of a married woman at the time who lacked reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male dominated world. It aroused a great sensation at the time and caused a "storm of outraged controversy" that went beyond the theatre to the world newspapers and society. Take a listen to Ibsen's most notable piece!

The Metamorphosis: A New Translation by Susan Bernofsky

Franz Kafka's 1915 novella of unexplained horror and nightmarish transformation became a worldwide classic and remains a century later one of the most widely read works of fiction in the world. It is the story of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. This hugely influential work inspired George Orwell, Albert Camus, Jorge Louis Borges, and Ray Bradbury, while continuing to unsettle millions of readers.

The Communist Manifesto

‘It was a sweet finish after the bitter pills of floggings and bullets with which these same governments, just at that time, dosed the German working-class risings’. The Communist Manifesto is, perhaps surprisingly, a most engaging and accessible work, containing even the odd shaft of humour in this translation by Samuel Moore for the 1888 English edition.

The Stranger

Albert Camus' The Stranger is one of the most widely read novels in the world, with millions of copies sold. It stands as perhaps the greatest existentialist tale ever conceived, and is certainly one of the most important and influential books ever produced. Now, for the first time, this revered masterpiece is available as an unabridged audio production.

On the Social Contract

On the Social Contract's appeal and influence has been wide-ranging and continuous. It has been called an encomium to democracy and, at the same time, a blueprint for totalitarianism. Individualists, collectivists, anarchists, and socialists have all taken courage from Rousseau's controversial masterpiece.

A Discourse on Method: Meditations on the First Philosophy: Principles of Philosophy

By calling everything into doubt, Descartes laid the foundations of modern philosophy. With the celebrated words "I think therefore I am," his compelling argument swept aside ancient and medieval traditions. He deduced that human beings consist of minds and bodies; that these are totally distinct "substances"; that God exists and that He ensures we can trust the evidence of our senses.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: Escaping the Dead

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a introduction into the apocalyptic world of Staff Sergeant Brad Thompson.

The radio goes quiet while on convoy in Afghanistan, a lost patrol alone in the desert. With his unit and his home base destroyed, Staff Sergeant Brad Thompson suddenly finds himself isolated and in command of a small group of men trying to survive in the Afghan wasteland. The local population has been afflicted with an illness that turns them into rabid animals.

Gulliver's Travels: A Signature Performance by David Hyde Pierce

A Signature Performance: Four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce delivers an air of lovable self-importance in his rendition of the classic social satire that remains as fresh today as the day it was published.

Publisher's Summary

Candide, published simultaneously in five European capitals in 1759, became an instant best seller and is now regarded as one of the key texts of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s preoccupations with evil and with various kinds of human folly and intolerance found a perfect vehicle in the philosophical tale. A master storyteller, he combined often wildly entertaining action with profoundly serious sense, parodying the traditional chivalric and oriental tales with which his public was more familiar to create a witty allegory of a young man whose optimism gives way to disillusionment after a series of terrible misfortunes.

This was probably Not what most folks would think about this classic. This book is fraught with one-liners that are just hilarious. And to think that these one-liners came from a philosopher of the 1700’s makes it even more astonishing. A book that has remained essential reading for almost 400 years does not require a review by some amateur from our millennium nor could I do it justice. Suffice it to say that this book can be read by scholars who would find transcendental meanings of the times then and relevance for our times now. But, what makes a great book and what made it particularly appealing for me is that, while it can be completely dissected and analyzed, it can also be just thoroughly enjoyed at face value by anyone.

The performances by Jack Davenport were brilliant. Each character’s voice was distinct, seemingly appropriate and perfectly realized for the character performed. And there were plenty of “characters” alright. There was little of the “he said.... she said” monotony of some other books I have listened to. There were so many renditions by other narrators it was difficult to choose from among them. But again I think I lucked out. I cannot imagine any of the alternative narrators being better than Jack Davenport. Not that I think this book could not be appreciated in print. It certainly can. But Mr. Davenport just made it so much fun and really brought the book to life. I find myself smiling as I write this remembering just how much I laughed out loud.

Candide is an easy and delightful classic, great for teens and adults. Jack Davenport's reading is superb -- my favorite is his interpretation of Martin, the pessimist. He brings out the sarcasm of this character very effectively.

A strange coincidence is Voltaire's description of the humorously reduced circumstances of a king of Corsica, which so closely describes Napoleon's exile on Elba that it is necessary to remember that Voltaire died before the French Revolution.

The dispassionate calm of this light work make it an excellent sleep book.The last line, of course, is still quoted everywhere today and the reader delivers it well, a triumphant solution to the puzzle of life.

Yes. I read it many years ago and now that I am older, I was able to reiderate the many things I learned from it. I was a philosphy minor and we were all looking for the "truth" in those days. Many philosphers were busily trying to impress other with their great minds. Voltaire was very bright and was able to present the truth in what seemed a simplistic manner, but was anything but. Isaac Assimov could explain anything to anyone. The mark of true genius, as was Voltaire with his "simpleton" Candide.Candide was a newborn thrust out into the real world, like Dorothy from Kansas. There is so much humor in the names of the people encountered, and the politics of the day are the politics of all days. It's a classic for a reason. It covers all times.

What did you like best about this story?

The interjection of humor and irony.

Which scene was your favorite?

No one stands out. Naive Candide went from one impossible situation to another without a break.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

this classic is amusing and witty, and the droll performance sets exactly the right tone for it. there were definitely some snigger-inducing moments. after a couple of hours it became a bit much of a muchness. there's only so much insanely unlikely misfortune (and the inevitable complaining and sighing the comes with it) that one can stand. happily, the punchline at the end was very satisfying, so I came away feeling quite content with the story.

If you are a true believer and easily scandalised, this book’s not for you. If you are a fan of the irreverent, though, and would like to read an example of top-quality, vintage, black humour then it is.

The action is fast-paced and extreme. The jibes are well-aimed and funny. The writing is excellent and the narration in this version is top-notch.

Candide is Voltaire’s the most widely read work and, though relatively short, is considered a classic of Western literature. It undoubtedly inspired many authors of black humour that followed including, more recently, Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut. (Personally, I wonder if it didn’t also inspire some of the Monty Python troupe, directly or indirectly.)

[SPOILER ALERT] In the story Candide, the main character, goes from happy-go-lucky optimist to, well, probably a realist. Through a series of funny, terrible, outrageous, and/or shocking --but strangely credible-- events, Candide comes to doubt the teachings of the tutor, Pangloss. He asserts consistently that all is for the best, no matter how bad things seem. Pangloss asserts this even after he is killed. Along the way, government, religion, the wealthy, the learned, etc. are all rightfully and amusingly skewered. Yea!

I highly recommend this book if you have a skeptical nature and/or an iconoclastic bent. Though published in 1759, this classic is still funny and enjoyable today.

Candide, a naïve young man, follows the philosophy of optimism - "all is for the best" as his travels bring him and the other characters all sorts of horrible events and devastation (war, rape, slavery, earthquakes, religious persecution, murder).

In the end, he realizes life is constantly either anxiety or the lethargy of boredom and that life is best if we follow the advice "We must cultivate our garden" to try to rid ourselves of boredom, vice and need.

Very much so, listening to the book for me was much better than reading it. The narrator, really made me understand the situations and characters much better than when I read it.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Candide realizes that the world is really made up of hypocrites, cheaters, fanatics, and insanity of religion.

Any additional comments?

When I read this book in school it just didn't get the way this audio version has. It really expresses Voltaire's views of religion, had the human condition that make religion flourish and manipulate man kind. A very simple book that show haw humanity even 250 years later has not changed much.

Everyone should read this book several times in a lifetime. It was not as useful to me as it might have been when I read it for the first time at age seventy. The first reading should be no later than high school.

I approached this book with some trepidation, because I generally don't do well with either classics or satire; this is a combination of both genres. After having this sit on my to read audio shelf for some time, I decided to take the plunge. Surprise! I actually enjoyed this one and it made me laugh. The characters were fun and the adventures amusing for the most part. It is interesting to note that this was written hundreds of years ago, and yet some of the stereotypes that existed then (i.e., Jews swindling others out of wealth) are still around today.

I can see why this book is considered a classic. It is a short, fun read and not at all painful to get through, as some of the other classics have been. The narration was also good, and added to the enjoyment of the story.